Was expecting to be named captain ahead of MS Dhoni: Yuvraj Singh looks back at 2007 World T20 triumph

In a staggering revelation, Yuvraj Singh has said that he was expecting to be named India's captain for the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. The MS Dhoni-led Indian team played inspiringly and won the tournament, heralding Dhoni's rise toward becoming one of the most successful captains ever.

There is a much-publicized tale about how both Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar refused the role of captaining India in 2007. Tendulkar recommended MS Dhoni's name to the selectors and they took a punt on the young wicketkeeper-batsman to lead a second-string side to South Africa.

Yuvraj Singh explained why most of the senior players took a break from the tournament and how few people took the event seriously.

"So, basically, India had lost the 50-over World Cup, right? I mean there was quite a turmoil in Indian cricket and then there was a two-month tour of England and there was also a month tour in between with South Africa and Ireland. And then there was a month of T20 World Cup so there were like four months away from home. So probably the seniors thought that they need a break and obviously, nobody took the T20 World Cup seriously. I was expecting to captain India in the T20 World Cup and then it was announced MS Dhoni will be the captain," Yuvraj Singh said on the 22 Yarns podcast.

Yuvraj Singh added that the captaincy didn't affect his relationship with MS Dhoni because he was always a team man. He also narrated a hilarious anecdote about Zaheer Khan's two contrasting messages at the start of the World Cup and after India had won it.

"Yes, obviously, whoever becomes captain you got to support that guy whether it was Rahul, whether it was [Sourav] Ganguly, whoever in the future, end of the day you want to be a team man and that's how I was. So, anyway, the seniors took a rest - Ganguly, Dravid, Sachin. So Zak [Zaheer Khan] says 'I also should take rest, it has been a long tour'. I remember the first game was between West Indies and South Africa, right? And Chris Gayle hit a hundred off 50-55 balls. So Zak sends me a message in the night and he goes 'Thank God! I rested for this tournament.' and when we won the tournament he said 'Oh no! I shouldn't have rested'," added Singh.

Most ODI runs before turning 30:S Tendulkar: 12,219 runs @ 44.43V Kohli: 10,232 runs @ 59.83Yuvraj Singh: 8,051 runs @ 37.62S Ganguly: 7,732 runs @ 43.43J Kallis: 7,703 runs @ 44.27Tendulkar is also the only player to feature in 300+ ODIs before turning 30! pic.twitter.com/rJzWd0iRrJ

— Wisden India (@WisdenIndia) June 9, 2021

India defeated Pakistan in a nail-biting final at The Wanderers to lift the trophy. Gautam Gambhir was India's top run-scorer with 227 runs while RP Singh was the highest wicket-taker with 12 scalps.

"I don't think we had too much of a strategy" - Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh hitting a six against Stuart Broad.

Yuvraj Singh also remarked that his team weren't too fussed about making strategies and just enjoyed their time as underdogs.

"But anyway, starting for the 2007 World Cup, we were a young team. We didn't have an international coach or really big names. Lalchand Rajput was our coach and I think Venkatesh Prasad was our bowling coach and we were just a young team under a young captain which just landed in South Africa. I don't think we had too much of a strategy, no one had a clue about T20 strategies because it was the first tournament. So we thought 'Let's just go and play the way you know'," said Yuvraj Singh.

Yuvraj Singh also made a crucial contribution to India's win - 148 runs and a wicket. He also famously etched his name in the history of the game by hitting six sixes in an over against England's Stuart Broad.

A born winner announced his international retirement, #OnThisDay in 2019.What's your favourite Yuvi memory in 🇮🇳's Blue?@YUVSTRONG12 #OrangeArmy #OrangeOrNothing 📸: ICC pic.twitter.com/bQKs8GlC73

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) June 10, 2021